Some people may have been surprised a year ago, when the
Ironwood Ridge boys' tennis team took a #5 seed in the state
playoffs and turned it into a state championship, head coach Ryan
Bais knows.

No surprises this season.

"Last year we were young and snuck up on some teams," said Bais.
"This year we're the top seed, we returned five of our six starters
— now people are worried about us."

"We're just trying to take their best shots," he added.

If the first round of state playoff action on Monday is an
indicator, Ironwood Ridge certainly seems up to the challenge.

The #1 Nighthawks defeated #16-seed Kingman 5-0 at Ironwood
Ridge, ensuring home court advantage for their quarterfinal match
up with Rincon on Wednesday.

Led by #1 singles player junior Timothy Holten's 6-1, 6-1
victory over Jon Casson, the Nighthawks quickly dispatched the
Bulldogs on a hot, bright day, taking slightly over an hour to
secure advancement to the next round. Ironwood Ridge defeated
Rincon three times in the regular season.

"All our kids, all the way through are real solid," said Bais.
"They know what it is to play tennis, they play competitively, and
they're serious about it."

While the Nighthawks' formidable lineup is talented from top to
bottom, Bais said Andrew Vo'ssenior leadership counts for a lot
this time of year.

"It's interesting, you always see when you have seniors, they
tend to realize this is their last shot," said Bais. "They step up
and take ownership of the team and take a leadership role."

While that last match will come eventually, Bais and the
Nighthawks are focused on continuing the type of play that gave
them an undefeated record and a 5A-II Southern region
championship.

"We have to be on top of our game, people are trying to catch
us," said Bais. "Nothing really changes for us, we just have to go
out there and play."

That philosophy hasn't changed for Ironwood Ridge, despite the
target that comes with defending a state title and earning a #1
seed in the state tournament. Bais and the team seem to relish
it.

"It's gratifying to be 16-0 and be able to defend that spot,"
said Bais.

Ironwood Ridge girls' tennis

Two hours after the boys' tennis team authoritatively defeated
Kingman by a 5-0 total, the #4-seed Nighthawk girls' team triumphed
decisively over Phoenix Camelback by the same score, ending the
Spartans' season and propelling Ironwood Ridge into a quarterfinal
match up with #12 Anthem Boulder Creek on Wednesday.

Headed by dominant performances from the junior / senior
co-captain duo of Shannon Contreras and Maile Hoffmann, the
Nighthawks led throughout.

"(Contreras and Hoffmann) set the tone," said head coach Bill
Little. "It's done in a very professional way — they go about their
business."